Bringing it in Close

The most interesting things outdoors happen far away. You always want to see a little more, reach a little farther, or climb a little higher. A big part of outdoor sports is exploration and discovery. That is also the point of having a camera with zoom.

Video cameras, digital cameras, and even cell phone cameras come with zoom features these days. There is a reason for that. We love to see more. However, not all zoom is the same.

Digital vs. Optical

Your camera is likely rated for two different kinds of zoom, digital and optical.

Optical zoom is created by the lenses. The distant image is brought closer.

Digital zoom is simply focusing in on a small area of the picture like cropping a photo. It does not require a lens adjustment.

That is all nice to know, but what does it mean? And which do you need most?

Which is Best?

Optical zoom will be superior to digital zoom in most all of the critical tests, however, in the outdoors, the difference may not be enough to matter.

As you saw in the video, maximum digital zoom may not produce clear, crisp videos and pictures but it still provides the details you want to see.

When you choose your camera for the outdoors, pay for the best optical zoom that you can afford and enjoy the extra range of the digital.